Ear piercing dates back thousands of years. More recently, earrings designed to secure to pierced ears have become somewhat standardized. Modern pierced earrings typically include an ornamental piece secured to a rigid post that fits through a small (typically 18-20 gauge) hole in the user's ear. The post is received by a clutch provided on the opposite side of the ear. To prevent the earring from becoming inadvertently dislodged from the ear, the post is provided with a detent that is received and retained by the clutch. The detent may be a circular groove cut into the post, threading provided in the post, or any type of detent.
While pierced earrings remain popular, newer types of ear ornamentation have been increasing in popularity. One of these types of ornamentation is “gauges.” Gauges are a type of ear ornamentation that fits into a larger (typically 14 gauge or larger) hole, in the user's ear. A gauge may be solid “plug,” a hollow “tunnel,” or any type of ornamentation designed to fit through, and be retained within, the larger hole.
One drawback associated with gauges is that the holes they require are often too large to retain standard pierced earrings. Users who have converted to gauges often have a significant investment in pierced earrings and/or sentimental attachment to pierced earrings gifted to them or handed down from relatives. It would therefore be desirable to provide a way for a user to wear earrings with smaller diameter posts in ears with holes designed for gauges.